Clamp actuating mechanism for stave jointers



July 5, 1949. w. R. BuT-rERwORTH, JR 2,475,475

CLAMP ACTUATING MECHANIS M FOR STAVE JOINTIZIRS Filed Dec. 16, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 e5 SOUR zuvaw'an W/Lms o fit earrzmvoir/l J1.

July 5, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 16, 1947 R a K I mm am M Q 1 kw Q M w Patented July 5, 1949 CLAMP ACTUATIN G MECHANISM FOR STAVE J OIN TERS Willard R. Butterworth, Jr., Memphis, Tenn. Application December 16, 1947, Serial No. 792,008

3 Claims.

This invention relates to clamp actuating mechanisms for stave jointers of the general type shown in the patent to W. V. Grace, No. 1,716,- 520, issued June 11, 1929.

Stave jointers of this type are used for jointing or dressing up the edges of barrel staves, which, when placed in the machine for jointing, are solidly clamped for the jointing operation. This movement is usually accomplished by foot power, the heavy pressure necessary for clamping making it necessary that the clamping movement be largely multiplied. In the application of the clamping pressure, as recited in the above mentioned patent, inequality in thickness of the ends of the stave makes it necessary to equalize the pressure applying force in order that both ends of the stave will be equally clamped.

The objects of the present invention are, in a stave jointing machine;

To provide means to equalize plying force on the two clamps;

To provide linkage connecting the clamp operating mechanism and the clamps, which will equalize the pressure of the operating mechanism on the clamps without lateral binding;

To provide power actuated operating mechanism and means for controlling the operation thereof; and

To provide stave clamping mechanism, and power actuated operating mechanism, and means for linking said mechanisms to successively effect stave clamping action and stave jointing movements.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects are accomplished, and the manner of their accomplishment, will readily be understood from the following specification on reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a stave jolnter in accordance with the above mentioned patent showing my improved equalizing means applied to the clamping mechanism thereof.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the clamping mechanism taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged sectional elevation on the line III-III of Fig. 4 showing a modified actuating mechanism Fig. 4 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary side elevation showing the stave carrier and the modified form of actuating mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, I2 is a circular disc or head of the usual dished type carrying knives M. The disc the pressure apis mounted on a 55 shaft l6, which is suitably journalled in side frames l1 and is driven to rotate the disc and cause the knives M to plane or joint an edge of the stave blank and properly bevel this edge so that the stave, when assembled in the barrel, will tightly abut the similarly formed edge of an adjoining stave. Adjacent the face of the disc I2 is a stave carrier including a table [8 on which a stave 20 is supported for such cutting action. The table includes laterally disposed seats 22 against which the ends of the stave are clamped. The table I8 is supported by legs 24 which integrally extend from a rocker bar 26 having bearings 26A journalled in boxes 28 supported by members 30 of the frame I1, the table 18 being oscillatable about the bearings 26A to move the stave 20 carried by the table against the cutting knives l4. The seats 22 are slotted to receive clamping arms 32 which are pivotally mounted on pins 34. The arms 32 extend above the table and have inwardly and downwardly curved arch portions 32A which carry gripping members adapted for clamping the ends of the staves against the seats 22. Below the table the arms 32 have inwardly extending portions 32B which are connected by pivotally attached, vertically disposed links 38, to a horizontally disposed equalizer bar 40. The bar 48 is pivoted at its centhereabove.

Power is applied to the arms by a pneumatic cylinder piston assembly 45, 46, having a projecting piston rod 41. Compressed air is supplied to the cylinder from a suitable source through a pipe 48 and conventional four-way valve 50 manually actutable by a foot pedal 52 to optionally establish flow through a pipe 54 into the lower end of the cylinder, or through a pipe 55 into its upper end, both pipes being flexible to allow cylinder oscillation.

In the forms shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the coupling rod 44 projects downward and has a head 56 on its lower end which is coupled by a pin 51 through a link 58 and a pin 60 to a rocker arm 62 which is mounted on and keyed to a rocker shaft 64. The shaft 64 is suitably journalled and supported by brackets 66. Laterally offset from the arm 62 is a second arm 68 which is also carried by and keyed to the rocker shaft 64. The outer end of the arm 68 lies below the cylinder 45 and is connected by a pin 10 to the piston rod of the cylinder 41.

In the form of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the second arm 68 is dispensed with and the cylinder 45 is positioned directly in line with the arm 62. The arm 62 is extended beyond the pin 60 and the piston rod 41 is coupled by a pin 60A to the arm 62.

In both forms of the device it will be noted that the pin 60, through which the link 58 is connected to the arm 62, is positioned forwardly of the line of the coupling rod 44, extended, so that the link 58 is angularly disposed with respect to the coupling rod, and on exertion of a downward pull by the arm 62 on the pin Bil, tends to swing the lower end of the coupling rod forward and the upper portion of the table l8 backward-toward the cutting disc l2.

In use the foot pedal 52 is releasedor rocked to actuate the valve 50, allow air to ,fiow through pipe 54 into the lower end of the cylinder and release air pressure through pipe 55 from the-upper end of the cylinder, raising the piston rod 41. The rod 41 either directly as :in Figs. 1 and 1-2,, or through the arm fill as in :Figs. 3 andel, raises the arm .62 and through the link '58 raises, the coupling rod Ml and the equalizer bar All. The bar 40 through the links 33, raises the clamping bars -32B and gripping members .36 carried thereby. The stave :26 is placed on the table and the pedal '52 rocked to admit air through the pipe 55 into the upper end of the cylinder 65, and through pipe 54 release pressure on ing'the piston and piston rod "41 downward and depressing the arm 62, either directly by action on the pin 60A (Fig. 2) or through'movement of the arm as (Fig. 3').

At the beginning of the downward movement the head 51 on the lower end of the coupling rod M is against the lower side of the rocker bar '26 and extremely close to the axis of that bar, and downward movement of the piston and piston rod 4'! exerts a clamping pull on gripping members 35 clamp the end of the stave 20 against the seats 22rand stopdownward movement of the coupling rod 44. At this time the head 51 has moved away from-the rocker bar .26 and further-downward pull tends :to straighten out the angularity of thelinki58 and the coupl- "ing rod and swing the head 51 forward (to-the left in Figs. 2 and 3) and thestave Ell -to the right in those views into cutting contactwith the knives Hi, this actioncontinuing until suchmate-rial as is desired has been removed by the knives from the stave, the limit of this cutting movement being shown in these figures. Subsequent rock-ing, or if desired, release of the foot pedal 52, cuts off air flow through the pipe 55 and establishes-opposite flow through the pipe -'54, raising the piston \46 and swinging the stave away from-the knives and releasing the gripping members 36, allowing the stave to be reversed for work on the opposite edge or to be removed and another stave to be substituted.

I claim:

1. In a stave jointing machinewhichincludes a frame and a cutter disc journalled thereby; -a stave carrierincluding a rockerbar journalledin bea-rings'carried by said frame -for-war'dlyof and below said disc, a table including--seatportions, spaced above I and carried by said bar, clamping members pivotally attached to said tablef-or securing the end portions of astave against said t portions, air-equalizer bar below said table,

fi er-connecting said clarnpme'mbersand and a coupling rod pivotallyengaged at its upper end to said bar and depending theredram-through and siidably'guidd by saidrocker the lower end, forc- 1 the arms 32 until the bar; a cylinder forward of said rocker bar pivotally attached at its upper end to, and depending from, said frame, brackets carried by said frame rearward of said rocker bar, a shaft carried by said brackets below said cylinder, arm means carried by said shaft and projecting forwardly beyond said rocker bar into underlying relation to said cylinder, a piston reciprocably mounted in said cylinder, a piston rod projecting therefrom and pivotal-1y connected to said arm means, and a link pivotally connected at its lower end to said arm means forward of said rocker bar and extending upwardlyand rearwardly to said coupling rod and being pin connected thereto, a source of air under pressure and manually controlled means for establishing flow of air to either end of said cylinder and concurrent release of air from the respectively opposite end thereof.

'2. In a stave jointing machine which includes a frame and a cutter disc journalled thereby; a s ave .Qarrier in luding a rocker bar iqureelled in hea s car ed by sa d ram for rdl of and b w said disc, a t b in ludin sea rest ess spaced above and carried by said bar, clamping member pivotally at a hed to said'ta e is. .1 curing the en por ien o s ers aga st said seat porti ns, an u liz r a be ow sa d-table linka e in er conn ctinssa d damamemher and i ba and a cou lin re all en a e atits'l pp nd to s b rate -de endin t eba a y in ero rde Said atta h a it up er r te -be e e d-t0 and deeendins sai me bra ke s tar iedtby .saidreme s sward of said rocker bar,.a shaft carried byvsaid brackets, an arm journalled by said shaftand pro,- jectingforwardlyrbeyond said rocker liar into-underlying relation to said cylinder, a piston;-reciprocably mounted in said cylinder, a piston rod projecting therefrom and pivotally connected to said arm, and a link pivotally connected at its -lower end to said arm adjacent said piston rod connection, and extending upwardly and rearwardly to said coupling rod and being pin .connected theret a source of air under pressureand manually controlled means -:for establishing air flow toeither endof said cylinder and concurrent release from the respectively oppositeendthereof. 3. In astavejointing machine'which includes a frame (and a cutter disc journalled thereby; a stave carrier includinga rocker bar journalledin bearings'carried'by said frame forwardly of and below said disc, a table including seat portions, spaced above and carried by said bar,clamping members pivotally .attached'to said table for securing theend portionsof a stave against said seat portions, anequalizerbarbelow said table, linkage inter-connecting said clamp members and said bar; and a coupling rod pivotally engaged at its upper end to said bar and depending therefrom through andslidably guided by said rocker barpa cylinder forward of said rocker bar pivctally attached at its upper end to and depending from --said frame, brackets-carried by-said frame rearward of said rocker bar, a shaft journalledinsaid brackets, arms secured on said shaft and projecting forwardly beyondsaid rocker bar, aflxst of said arms extending into underlying relation-to saidcylinder a piston reciprocably mounted in said cylinder, a'piston rod-projecting therefrom and pivotallyconnected to said first arm, anda link pivotally connected-at its lower-flendto-the other of said arms-forward of-said-rocker bar andextending upwardly and rearwardly'to said coupling---rotl-ami=being pin connected thereto; 9,

5 source of air manually controlled means for establishing air flow to either end of said cylinder and concurrent release from the respectively opposite end thereof.

WILLARD R. BUTTERWORTH, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Winterbotham Dieter Grace Date Mar. 19, 1895 Mar. 20, 1906 June 11, 1929 

